To divers: how important is good lume?
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I'll be curious to see how the diving crowd responds. I'm willing to bet it's a nice-to-have. It seems like a number of hardcore divers don't wear watches at all and are reliant upon dive computers, so I also can't help but wonder also just how important lume is?
For me it's critical. I can't imagine what life would be like if I had to actually get out from under the covers at night and roll over in bed to look at the clock just to know what time it is. I have to think that I'd be at risk of pulling a neck muscle or something.
Well for diving at night , and for cave diving, wrecks etc. sometime you get into low visibility situations and having a quick reference check with good lume is useful, but you also have a dive light , but being able to glance and see the lume is good.Some divers still do it the old school way, a watch and your dive tables , no dive comps. which their weakpoints are usually the light button seals anyways .
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The conditions I dive in are predominantly poor visibility / dim lighting. For a dive watch that I actually use for diving lume is extremely important to me. That being said, my new LM-3 has poor lume and has not left my wrist since I received it.
So bottom line for me is - I want great lume underwater, but am willing to sacrifice great lume in a dive watch for every day wear.
Best, Mike W.
So bottom line for me is - I want great lume underwater, but am willing to sacrifice great lume in a dive watch for every day wear.
Best, Mike W.
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Gee guys, I got to ask questions since I am not a diver. :-d
1. First, if you dive deep or low visibility, I am sure most diving has at least one dive light right? So won't it be easy to just shine the dive light onto your watches?:think:
2. Also do you divers if dive at night or very little sunlight, charged up your watches' lume before diving? I reckon some yes and some no. So those yes, I reckon they charge the watches quickly with a dive light. (Again that can be done underwater too with just shinning the dive light over your watches?!):-d
But what do I know as a non-diver!o|
That said, even as a non-diver, I would like to have a watch with good lume. Cos if the lume is UNEVEN, even for most Swiss branded watches, it is YUCKS when the light is off.
Oops!
we are talking about Lume and not gas tubes right?
1. First, if you dive deep or low visibility, I am sure most diving has at least one dive light right? So won't it be easy to just shine the dive light onto your watches?:think:
2. Also do you divers if dive at night or very little sunlight, charged up your watches' lume before diving? I reckon some yes and some no. So those yes, I reckon they charge the watches quickly with a dive light. (Again that can be done underwater too with just shinning the dive light over your watches?!):-d
But what do I know as a non-diver!o|
That said, even as a non-diver, I would like to have a watch with good lume. Cos if the lume is UNEVEN, even for most Swiss branded watches, it is YUCKS when the light is off.
Oops!
we are talking about Lume and not gas tubes right?
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5,402 Posts
Here is a copy of a post I made over on the O7 sub-forum about lume on dive watches:
I've been thinking about the issue of lume on a dive watch recently.
It's obvious that H3 tubules are much brighter over the long run than the best SL. Yes, SL can be charged up to glow even more brightly than H3 for a few minutes, but who dives for a few minutes? Who even checks their watch in the first few minutes of a dive (other than WISs, to see the lume while it's still bright :roll.
For that matter, since I no longer dive for work and only ever sport dive now, I don't dive without a dive light. My last 25 night dives were probably all made without my eyes ever becoming dark-adapted. I'm usually using my dive light, composing on a digicam view screen or firing strobes, sometimes all of the above. As such, I don't think I could see anything but H3 tubules on a watch when I'm in the water on a night dive (I've not dived an H3 watch yet)*.
And on a day dive, who cares about lume?
WISs, that's who. Most of whom don't even dive deeper than their bathtubs or swimming pools.
For a long time now, I've thought the issue of lume is way overdone by dive watch makers and collectors. Yes, I like good, even lume. I don't like sloppily finished dials or spotty lume (as with the early Kronos watches). But this whole need-a-watch-to-light-your-way-through-Mordor thing is ridiculous. Give me a nice looking dial with even lume any day! And if you want to be serious about lume on a dive watch, put H3 tubules on the dial and in the hands.
* Writing this reminds me that I'm long overdue for a boring, peaceful dive. Night-time on the reef is unbeatable. No camera, no dive light (emergency light of course), rebreather, me and the reef. As close to isolation as is attainable on this planet for me. I love it!
I've been thinking about the issue of lume on a dive watch recently.
It's obvious that H3 tubules are much brighter over the long run than the best SL. Yes, SL can be charged up to glow even more brightly than H3 for a few minutes, but who dives for a few minutes? Who even checks their watch in the first few minutes of a dive (other than WISs, to see the lume while it's still bright :roll
. For that matter, since I no longer dive for work and only ever sport dive now, I don't dive without a dive light. My last 25 night dives were probably all made without my eyes ever becoming dark-adapted. I'm usually using my dive light, composing on a digicam view screen or firing strobes, sometimes all of the above. As such, I don't think I could see anything but H3 tubules on a watch when I'm in the water on a night dive (I've not dived an H3 watch yet)*.
And on a day dive, who cares about lume?
WISs, that's who. Most of whom don't even dive deeper than their bathtubs or swimming pools.
For a long time now, I've thought the issue of lume is way overdone by dive watch makers and collectors. Yes, I like good, even lume. I don't like sloppily finished dials or spotty lume (as with the early Kronos watches). But this whole need-a-watch-to-light-your-way-through-Mordor thing is ridiculous. Give me a nice looking dial with even lume any day! And if you want to be serious about lume on a dive watch, put H3 tubules on the dial and in the hands.
* Writing this reminds me that I'm long overdue for a boring, peaceful dive. Night-time on the reef is unbeatable. No camera, no dive light (emergency light of course), rebreather, me and the reef. As close to isolation as is attainable on this planet for me. I love it!
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You need a good flashlight too :-!
Usually new package arrive a night. You open up, held it, excited. Then you grab a good flshlight e.g. Surefire go to your room. Shut all the lights. Shine the light to the watch for 2 sec. observe & enjoy what a beautiful watch i just purchased~
Tell me that is not important to you!! No need to be a diver to enjoy the importance of good lume
Usually new package arrive a night. You open up, held it, excited. Then you grab a good flshlight e.g. Surefire go to your room. Shut all the lights. Shine the light to the watch for 2 sec. observe & enjoy what a beautiful watch i just purchased~
Tell me that is not important to you!! No need to be a diver to enjoy the importance of good lume
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